Tape Guiding reel

ABSTRACT

A take-up or supply reel for aligning and stacking storage tape. The tape reel may include a hub, where tape wraps around the hub and two flanges. The flanges are spaced apart on the hub, where surfaces of the flanges face each other at a distance such that the tape may pass therebetween. At least one of the opposing surfaces includes a guiding portion where a separation distance between the opposing surfaces of the flanges corresponding to the guiding portion decreases as tape is wound to the hub. The guiding portion guides the tape as it passes therebetween to stack more uniformly on the hub.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to tape reels for tapedrives, and more particularly to take-up or supply reels for controlleduniform stacking of storage tape in tape drives to reduce lateral tapemotion.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Magnetic tapes are commonly used for data storage in computersystems. Magnetic tapes are typically housed in open reels, tapecartridges, and tape cassettes. Open reels include a hub upon which thetape is wound and flanges that protect the tape edges but are not housedin a container. When open reels are used in a magnetic tape drive, thetape from one reel (a supply reel) is spooled onto another reel (atake-up reel). A tape cartridge typically includes a container having asingle reel upon which the tape is initially wound. When a tapecartridge is used in a magnetic tape drive, the tape on the reel in thetape cartridge is spooled onto a take-up reel in the magnetic tapedrive. A tape cassette typically includes a container having two tapereels, a supply reel upon which the tape is initially wound and atake-up reel. When a tape cassette is used in a magnetic tape drive, thetape on the supply reel in the tape cassette is spooled onto the take-upreel in the tape cassette. Thus, when a tape cassette is used, the tapestays within the cassette container.

[0005] As a tape moves between a supply reel and a take-up reel duringoperation, the tape is guided over a read/write head to read data fromand/or write data to the tape. However, transverse motion of the taperelative to the read/write head (lateral tape motion) as the tape movesbetween the supply and take-up reel may cause misalignments between therecorded track positions on the tape and the head. Such tracking errorsmay reduce data reliability. For example, during a write operation,lateral tape motion may prevent straight tracks from being written onthe tape and may result in subsequent read errors. During a readoperation, lateral tape motion may prevent the read head from beingaligned at the center of the desired track on the tape, which may leadto data errors.

[0006] Multiple parallel tracks are typically written on a tape toincrease the data rate capability of the tape. In general, the greaterthe number of tracks positioned on a tape, the more information may bestored on the tape. Consequently, track separation on tapes hascontinued to decrease in order to accommodate more tracks and greaterstorage capacity. As a result, it is desirable to control lateral tapemotion as the tape passes over a read/write head during read/writeoperations in order to ensure that the desired track is accuratelypositioned on the head for read/write operations.

[0007] One approach to reduce lateral tape motion has been to ensurethat the tape is stacked uniformly on both supply and take-up reels. Asshown in FIG. 1 (prior art), as each individual loop stacks, the tapemay slide laterally up or down as it spools around the reel. As such,the tape is non-uniformly stacked on the reel. Non-uniform stacking oftape on the reels may cause the tape to experience lateral motion as itis unwound and passes over a read/write head.

[0008] When tape spools on a reel, it squeezes out the layer of air thatis trapped between the outer surface of the tape in the reel and thein-coming tape. By increasing tape tension and surface roughness of thetape, the tape may be more uniformly stacked on the reel because thetrapped layer of air is more efficiently removed. The use of higher tapetension to reduce the sliding up and down of the tape as it spools onthe reel, however, is less effective when using thin tapes typicallyused in current tape drives. Additionally, high tape tension increasesthe read/write head and tape wear, which reduce the life of the tape.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment a take-up or supply reel for spoolingtape thereon is provided. The tape reel may include a hub, where tapewraps around the hub, and two flanges. The flanges include opposingsurfaces spaced apart such that the tape may pass between the opposingsurfaces and wrap around the hub. At least one of the opposing surfacesincludes a guiding portion where a separation distance between theopposing surfaces of the flanges corresponding to the guiding portiondecreases in a circumferential direction as the tape is wound on thehub, and the guiding portion guides the tape as it passes between theopposing surfaces.

[0010] The present invention and its various embodiments are betterunderstood upon consideration of the detailed description below inconjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a prior art tapereel;

[0012]FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary tape-to-reel interactionduring tape spooling;

[0013]FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary tape drive including a take-upreel according to one example;

[0014]FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate various views of an exemplarytake-up or supply tape reel for guiding and uniformly stacking tape;

[0015]FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a tape reel alongline 4B-4B of FIG. 4B;

[0016]FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate side views of exemplary tape reelsillustrating guide members with and without taper respectively;

[0017]FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of an exemplary take-up or supplytape reel;

[0018]FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of an exemplary take-up or supplytape reel;

[0019]FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of an exemplary take-up or supplytape reel;

[0020]FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C illustrate various views of an exemplarytake-up or supply tape reel;

[0021]FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate an exemplary take-up or supply reeland a plan view of an exemplary inner surface of a guiding member for atake-up or supply tape reel respectively;

[0022]FIG. 12 illustrates a plan view of an exemplary inner surface of aguiding member for a take-up or supply tape reel; and

[0023] FIGS. 13A-13B illustrate top views of exemplary take-up or supplytape reels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The following description is presented to enable any personskilled in the art to make and use the invention. Descriptions ofspecific materials, techniques, and applications are provided only asexamples. Various modifications to the examples described herein will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principlesdefined herein may be applied to other examples and applications withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the presentinvention is not intended to be limited to the examples described andshown, but is to be accorded the scope consistent with the appendedclaims.

[0025]FIG. 2A illustrates a typical tape to reel interaction during tapespooling, i.e., winding tape onto the hub of a reel. For illustrativepurposes, only hub 250 of the reel and tape 260 are shown. FIG. 2Billustrates a top view of a portion of the spooled tape 261 in theregion where tape 260 begins to wrap over spooled tape 261. As tape 260is wrapped over the previous layer of tape of spooled tape 261 airenters or becomes trapped between 260 and 261. This effect is amplifiedwith smooth tape, for example, current metal particle (“MP”) tape or thelike being wound at relatively high speeds. For example, speeds of 100to 200 inches per second are common, and speeds of 400-1000 inches persecond or more are contemplated for exemplary reels described below. Inthe region 270, generally located on the left half of FIG. 2A and where260 begins to be wrapped around spooled tape 261, a thin layer of airmay become trapped. Tape 260 momentarily floats on this thin layer ofair before “squeezing” it out as tape 260 is rotated and stacked onspooled tape 261. Tape 260 may be more easily guided and aligned withspooled tape 261 while tape 260 is floating on this cushion or thinlayer of air. Additionally, efficient removal of this air is importantto ensure that tape stacks evenly on the reel.

[0026] A tape reel may be used, for example, in magnetic tape drives tospool tape while information is either written on the tape or read fromit. In one exemplary embodiment, the tape reel includes one or morepairs of upper and lower guiding members positioned on opposite sides ofa hub. The guiding members may be circular flanges, partial flanges suchas butterfly or propeller shapes, and the like. The upper and lowerguiding members are configured to receive and guide the tape as it isspooled onto the hub. In one example, the guiding members include anarrow portion between the guiding members that physically guides theedges of the tape to be aligned with the previous layer of wound tape asthe air escapes from beneath the tape. In another example, the narrowportion between the guiding members physically guides the edges of thetape to align and “push” the tape down and squeeze the air out frombetween the tape and the previous layer of wound tape as the reelrotates. More specifically, the guiding members guide the tape as itfloats on a thin layer of air trapped between the tape and the previouslayer of the tape spooled on the hub to improve tape reel guiding andstacking.

[0027] Improved tape reel guiding and stacking reduces lateral tapemotion, i.e., transverse motion of the tape relative to a linear path ofthe tape past a read/write head. In particular, more uniformly stackedtape may be unwound more smoothly with reduced lateral tape motion.Additionally, reduced lateral tape motion improves servo trackeffectiveness by a servo head or the like, i.e., the ability to detectlateral tape motion and track data tracks formed on the tape isimproved. Effective tape guiding further reduces tape damage duringwinding and unwinding of the tape allowing for the use of relativelythin and smooth high capacity metal particle tapes, for example.

[0028]FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary tape drive 300 housing one or moresupply reels with guiding members. Tape drive 300 includes a supply reel301 having tape 360 spooled onto it, rollers 311, read/write head 312,and a take-up reel 302 within housing 305. The supply reel 301 isrotatably mounted within a removable cartridge 315. During a read/writeoperation, the tape 360 spools out of either the take-up reel 302 or thesupply reel 301, with rollers 311 guiding the tape 360 as it passes overone or more read/write heads 312 and then stacks up on the take-up reel302, one loop after another, with an increasing radius. For the purposesof ease of explanation, this example will be described with respect totake-up reel 301, however, the same principles apply to supply reel 302.

[0029] Tape drive 300 may be installed within a computer, a tape drivearray, as part of a tape library, and the like. A detailed descriptionof the various components of a tape drive such as tape drive 300 may befound in U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,638, issued to G. Saliba and which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Accordingly, only thestructural aspects of tape drive 300 that are of particular significanceto the present discussion are described in detail.

[0030] Tape drive 300 includes one or more head assemblies 312 that readand/or write data from and/or onto the storage tape 360. The design andnumber of head assemblies may vary depending upon the requirements andapplication of tape drive 300. Tape drive 300 may further include one ormore servo heads 314 to detect lateral tape motion.

[0031] Storage tape 360 stores data information in a form that may besubsequently retrieved. For example, a magnetic storage tape 360 may beused to store data in digital format. The storage tape 360 preferablyhas a tape width of approximately 0.500 inches, however any size tape360 and correspondingly sized take-up reel is contemplated. Thethickness of storage tape 360 may be approximately 0.005 inches,although thinner or thicker tapes are contemplated.

[0032] Storage tape 360 includes a storage surface on a major side ofstorage tape 360 for storing data. The opposite major surface of storagetape 360 typically does not contain data and is positioned to be incontact with rollers 311 along a path between supply reel 301 andtake-up reel 302. The storage surface of storage tape 360 may face andcontact head assembly 312. A servo head 314 may be positioned on eitherside of tape storage tape 360. Servo head 314 may follow a servo patternon storage tape 360 to detect lateral tape motion and provide feedbacksignals to the head assembly 312 to follow the correct data track. Servohead 314 may be, for example, an optical or magnetic servo head. Thestorage tape may be divided into a plurality of tracks, where each trackincludes a linear pattern that extends the length of the storage tape360. Alternatively, for example, the data may be stored in diagonalstrips across the storage tape 360. It should be recognized that variousother exemplary storage tapes 360 with various surface configuration anddata configurations may be used.

[0033]FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate various views of an exemplarytake-up and/or supply reel for guiding and uniformly stacking a storagetape according to one embodiment. In this particular example, the reelincludes at least one pair of guiding members formed as guiding armsthat generally resemble butterfly wings from the top view, and istherefore occasionally referred to as a “butterfly reel.”

[0034] Specifically, tape reel 400 includes two pairs of arms or guidingmembers 420, wherein each pair of guiding members 420 includes twoguiding members 420 spaced apart on hub 450. Guiding members 420 arespaced apart sufficiently to allow tape 460 to pass between the facingor inner surfaces of guiding members 420. Further, guiding members 420may be separated such that the facing surfaces of each guiding member420 are separated by a minimum distance/separation in a directionparallel to the axis of hub 460 equal to the width of the tape 460 orslightly larger than the width of the tape 460. Further, the innersurface of the guiding members may be shaped to have various separationsto receive and guide tape 460. For example, a wide separation betweenthe surfaces for receiving the tape 460 and a narrow separationtherebetween configured to guide and uniformly stack tape 460 as thereel rotates when spooling tape 460 around hub 450. For instance, theguiding members may be shaped such that the leading edges 424, i.e., theedges that approach tape 460 first when spooling tape onto the reel, arefarther apart in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the hubthan a minimum or narrow separation region of the guiding members 420.The narrow separation region may be located anywhere other than theleading edge 424, for example, at the trailing edge or a locationbetween the leading edge 424 and the trailing edge, such as the middleof guiding member 420.

[0035] Hub 450 is cylindrical in shape as shown in FIG. 4A, however,other shapes suitable for spooling tape may be used; for example, apolygon shape or the like. Further, guiding member 420 may be fixed tohub 450 in any suitable manner or formed integral with hub 450. A singlestructure may form the upper guiding members 420 for both pairs ofguiding members 420 or each guiding member 420 may be separatelyattached to hub 450.

[0036]FIG. 4B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of reel 400 alongline 4B-4B of FIG. 4A, and depicts the relationship of guiding members420 with tape 460 and spooled tape 461. As seen, the distance betweenthe leading edges 424 of guiding members 420 is greater than a minimumdistance located past the leading edge 424, in this case at or near thetrailing edge 425. As guiding members 420 rotate clockwise as seen fromthe top view, tape 460 passes between guiding members 420 first throughthe wide opening of the leading edge 424. As guiding members 420 furtherrotate, the distance between guiding members 420 reduces to a minimum ornarrow separation. The minimum distance may be equal to the width of thetape such that as the guiding members rotates the tape 460 is guided bythe edge of tape 460 and uniformly stacked on the previous loop of tape460.

[0037] As may be more clearly seen with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and4C in conjunction, guiding members 420 rotate and tape 460 passesbetween the inner surfaces of guiding members 420 through the relativelywide opening, i.e., larger than tape 460, at the leading edge 424 ofguiding member 420. As guiding members 420 further rotate and arepositioned in a region of spooled tape 461 similar to the left side ofFIGS. 4A and 4C, the distance between guiding members 420 decreases to aminimum or narrow distance that may be substantially equal to the widthof tape 460. Tape 460 is therefore guided by the minimum distancebetween guiding members 420 in the region where tape 460 is floating ona thin air layer trapped between tape 460 and spooled tape 461. Thisthin layer of air allows guiding members 420 to effectively guide tape460 in a near fluid state and stack tape 460 uniformly on the previoustape layer of spooled tape 461 with little friction with the underlyinglayers of tape.

[0038] In this example, guiding members 420 are shaped or bent to form awide opening between the inner surfaces of the guiding member 420 toreceive tape 460 by adjusting positioners 410 in a fashion to receiveand uniformly stack tape as it is spooled around hub 450. Positioners410 may include screws threaded between the guiding members 420 and/orthe hub 460 in a manner suitable to apply a force to guiding members 420such that opposing surfaces of guiding members 420 are disposed in anon-parallel relationship. Positioners 410 may be fixed at the time ofmanufacturing to hold guiding members 420 in fixed relationship withrespect to the hub. Additionally, positioners 410 may be adjusted totune the gap or distances between the opposing surfaces of guidingmembers 420. In other examples, guiding members 420 may be preformed andattached by any suitable method to hub 460 as well as being formedintegral with hub 460.

[0039] Numbers “0,” “1,” “2,” and “3,” illustrated in FIG. 4C indicaterelative distances between opposing facing or inner surfaces of guidingmembers 420 in a direction parallel to the axis of hub 450 according toone example. The arrow indicates the direction reel 400 rotates aboutthe axis during a take-up or spooling process of a tape 460. As the tape460 passes between the leading edges 424 of guiding members 420, theguiding members are at a maximum distance apart indicated by distance“3.” The tape is then guided and aligned to the spool of tape 461 by theopposing inner surfaces of guiding members 420 as the distances betweenthe inner surfaces narrow. In this example, the distance narrows to aminimum distance located near the trailing edge 425 of the guidingmembers 420 indicated by distance “0.” The minimum distance betweenguiding members 420, indicated by “0” may be, for example, the width ofthe tape or a suitable distance to uniformly stack tape 460 and reducelateral tape motion to a desirable level. Numbers “1,” “2,” and “3,” mayindicate various distances greater than “0,” with “3,” indicating thelargest distance.

[0040] Various other patterns shown by numbers “0,” “1,” “2,” and “3,”are possible. For example, the leading edge distance may both be a “3,”and the trailing edge distance both a “0,” as well as any other suitablescheme to guide tape 460. Further, the distance between opposingsurfaces of guiding members 420 may vary linearly or non-linearly from anarrow to wide region of guiding member 420. The narrow distance regionmay be located at various locations on guiding member 420, for example,the narrow distance could be in the middle or adjacent the leading edge424.

[0041] In one example, the minimum distance may be equal to the width ofthe tape to be spooled. Because tape 460 is guided in a region where itis nearly frictionless, the opening between guiding members 420 may besized equal to the width of tape 460 without excessive damage to theedges of tape 460. Further, in some instances the minimum distancebetween guiding members 420 may be made slightly less than tape 460.Tape under tension may result in a slight reduction in the width of tape460. The width of a 0.500 inch tape, for example, may reduce toapproximately 0.498 inches in width during use, i.e., when undertension. In this case the minimum distance may be between 0.498 and0.505 inches for a typical 0.500 inch tape, preferably between 0.498 and0.503 inches, and more preferably between 0.498 and 0.500 inches.Further, depending on the particular application and how much the widthof the tape decreases under tension, smaller distances may be used.

[0042] Opposing surfaces of guiding members 420 preferably vary in theirdistances smoothly or gradually between the distances indicated by “0,”“1,” “2,” and “3.” This results in the tape being gently and smoothlyguided to a more uniform position on hub 450. Depending on manufacturingconsiderations, however, various non-smooth surfaces may be used withguiding members 420.

[0043] In the present exemplary embodiment, one rotation of reel 400aligns a loop of tape 460 twice as it is spooled onto the spool of tape461, i.e., as each pair of guiding members 420 rotates once. Each pairof guiding members 420 may have the same or different shapes andseparations resulting in differing alignment precision. For example, onepair of guiding members 420 may provide a coarse alignment and a secondpair of guiding members 420 may provide a fine alignment, such as wherethe narrow distance region of one pair of guiding members 420 is largerthan the narrow distance region of the second guiding members 420. Thiscould also be done with more than two pairs of guiding members 420 withprogressively finer alignments to provide more uniform stacking as wellas different random alignments depending on the particular application.

[0044] Guiding members 420 may be made of any suitable material for tapereels. For example, guiding members 420 may be formed out of aluminum,plastic, or other hard material. Guiding members 420 may also be made ofa combination of any suitable materials for tape reels. For example,guiding members may be formed out of aluminum covered with nickel, whichmay protect the aluminum material with greater durability. Additionally,ceramics with a hard coating such as diamond-like-carbon “DLC” or othersuitable coating may be used. Preferably, the guiding members include amaterial, at least on the inner surfaces, which has a low coefficient offriction with the tape to prevent excessive damages to the edges of thetape.

[0045]FIG. 5 illustrates a cut-away view along view line 4B-4B as shownin FIG. 4B according to another example of how guiding members 420 maybe shaped. In this example, guiding members 520 include a wide or largedistance between opposing surfaces near the leading edges 524 as well asthe trailing edges 525. This “balanced” design of wide-narrow-widedistances between the opposing guide members 520 may reduce the tapeedge wear as tape is supplied from the reel 500 as well as duringtake-up. The narrow distance between guiding members 520 is locatedgenerally in the middle region of guiding members 520 between leadingedge 524 and trailing edge 525. The narrow distance between guidingmembers 520 may therefore be located at various locations between theleading edge 524 and the trailing edge 525 (or at the trailing edge525). The narrow distance may be between 0.498 and 0.505 inches forstandard 0.500 inch tape, while the wide distance may be between 0.503to 0.520 inches or larger depending on the desired product tolerancesand the like.

[0046]FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate side views of exemplary tape reels 600and 601 with guiding members 620 that include taper and guiding members620 that are formed without taper, respectively. Taper generally refersto a diverging relationship between flanges or guiding members 620 asthey extend radially away from hub 650. As seen in FIG. 6A opposingguiding members 620 diverge as guiding members 620 extend away from hub650. For example, distance d_(r1) between guiding members 620 is largerthan the distance d_(r2) located at a greater radial distance from hub620. The wider separation distance between the guiding members 620 atthe circumferential outer edges enables tape to enter between guidingmembers 620 and reel 600 with a reduced chance of hitting or rubbingagainst an edge of guiding members 620 to reduce tape edge damage.

[0047]FIG. 6B, however, illustrates another example, where guidingmember 620 are formed without taper. In this instance, guiding members620 extend parallel with respect to each other such that d_(r1) andd_(r2) are substantially equal. Because guiding members 620 may beshaped with a relatively wide separation between corresponding leadingedges of a pair of guiding members 620 (see, e.g., FIGS. 4B, 4C, and4E), a taper may not be needed to prevent hitting the tape and causingtape edge damage. For example, the narrow distance region between theguiding members 620 need not diverge with distance from the hub 650. Thewide distance between opposing guiding members 620 allows the tape topass therebetween with out hitting the edge of the tape and causingdamage. Therefore, it should be recognized that various designs mayinclude guiding members with or with out taper depending on theparticular application and design considerations. Further, a wide regionmay include a taper with a narrow region without a taper, or vice versa.

[0048]FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of another exemplary tape reel 700.In this example, tape reel 700 includes two pair of opposing guidingmembers 720 on opposite sides of hub 750. In this example, guidingmembers 700 are formed to have a “bow-tie” shape, wherein the width asseen from the top view increases with distance form the axis ofrotation. The distance between the surfaces of opposing guiding members700 may include any of the variations previously discussed; for example,a wide leading edge followed by a narrow distance portion betweenopposing surfaces of guiding member 720 located somewhere along theguiding member 720 to uniformly stack tape onto the reel. This design isillustrative only and it should be recognized that various other shapesmay be included such as fan, blade, hook, boomerang, or other suitableshape that includes a relatively wide opening and a relatively narrowdistance therebetween to guide and uniformly stack the tape.

[0049]FIG. 8 illustrates another exemplary tape reel 800. In thisexample, tape reel 800 includes a single pair of opposing guidingmembers 820 on opposite sides of hub 850. It should be recognized thatany number of pairs of opposing guiding members 820 may be includeddepending on the particular application. Again, guiding members 820 mayhave any shape to achieve the desired distances between the opposinginner surfaces to guide and align a tape. For example, any of the shapesdescribed with regard to FIGS. 4B, 4C, and 5, as well as any othersuitable shape may be used. Further, hub 850 may be equipped with aweight (not shown) or the like positioned or mechanically coupled to hub850 to ensure that reel 820 is properly balanced as it rotates about acentral axis. Balancing reel 800, or any other exemplary reel, mayfurther increase uniform stacking and reduce lateral tape motion.

[0050]FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of yet another exemplary tape reel900. In this example, four pairs of opposing guiding members 920 areincluded on reel 900. The four top guiding members 920 may be formed ofa single integral piece, two pieces positioned cross wise, or fourseparate members attached to hub 950. Again, each guiding member 920 mayinclude any of the previously discussed shapes to achieve a desirednarrow/wide distance pattern between the opposing inner surfaces of eachguiding member 920 pair. Additionally, each pair of guiding members 920may include a different shape and/or different narrow/wide distancepattern between opposing inner surfaces. For example, guiding members920 may have progressively finer guiding and alignments of the tape 960by having progressively smaller minimum separations between successivepairs of guiding members 920. Alternatively, the guiding members 920 maybe randomly positioned to provide different levels of guiding andalignment or staggered to provide alternating coarse alignments and finealignments in one full rotation.

[0051]FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C illustrate various views of an exemplaryreel 1000 according to another embodiment. In this example, reel 1000includes two flange shaped guiding members 1020 that guide and aligntape 1060 as it passes between the inner surfaces of guiding members1020. Guiding members 1020 form at least one wide region between theopposing surfaces near the outer circumference of the guiding members,i.e., a relatively large distance between the inner surfaces of guidingmembers 1020. The relatively wide region allows tape 1060 to enter aportion of the reel between guiding members 1020 without hitting guidingmembers 1020 causing possible tape edge damage. The relatively wideregion may be achieved through tapered portions of guiding members 1020as described above or simply separating the guiding members 1020 in thewide region sufficiently to allow entry of tape 1060 between guidingmembers 1020 without undue edge damage. Guiding members 1020 furtherinclude at least one narrow region, i.e., a relatively small distancebetween the inner surfaces of guiding members 1020, configured to guideand align tape 1060 as reel 1000 rotates.

[0052]FIG. 10B illustrates a side view of reel 1000 and FIG. 10Cillustrates a plan view of the inner surface of the lower guiding member1020 to further describe reel 1000. As seen, the inner surfaces ofguiding members 1020 are contoured with corresponding wedges or reliefpatterns that are configured to uniformly guide and stack tape 1060 asreel 1000 winds tape 1060 to hub 1050. In particular, as the guidingmembers 1020 rotate while spooling tape 1060 onto reel 1000, tape 1060enters between guiding members 1020 with decreased potential for damagebecause a large distance or clearance is provided as shown on the leftside of FIG. 10C. For example, the distance in this region may be 0.502to 0.520 inches for typical 0.500 inch tape depending on systemtolerances. Because the distance in this region is relatively widecompared to the tape width, guiding members 1020 do not necessarily needto be tapered. In some applications, however, guiding members may betapered to have a similar or wider opening and a narrower distance inthe region near hub 1050.

[0053] In this example, a wedge shaped or contoured guiding portion 1021is located on the inner surface of guiding members 1020. The contouredportion 1021 narrows the distance between opposing guiding members 1060as the reel 1000 rotates to guide and align tape 1060 to hub 1050 whiletape 1060 is in a fluid state similar to the previous “butterfly”examples. For example, the guiding members 1060 may be positioned suchthat the minimum distance between the guiding portions is between 0.480and 0.505 inches for 0.500 inch tape, preferably less than 0.503 inchesand more preferably between 0.480 and 0.500 inches or less for 0.500inch tape.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 10C, much of the inner surface of guiding member1020 may be shaped to create a large distance or opening between guidingmembers 1020, with the contoured guiding portion 1021 provided to guideand align tape 1060 once per rotation. The width or area that guidingportion 1021 occupies on guiding member 1020 may vary depending on adesired abrupt or smooth guiding process. Further, multiple guidingportions 1021 may be included on guiding members 1021. For example,multiple guiding portions 1021 may be placed adjacent to each other tocreate an undulating or continuous wave shape as described in greaterdetail below (see, e.g., FIG. 12).

[0055]FIG. 11A illustrates another exemplary reel 1100 and FIG. 11Billustrates the inner surface of one guiding member 1120 of reel 1100.Reel 1100 is similar to reel 1000, except in this example guidingportions 1121 of guiding members 1120 are shaped as bumps as opposed tothe wedge shaped guide portions 1020. Guiding portions 1121 operatesimilar to guiding portions 1021. As guiding members rotate to take-upand spool tape 1160 onto spooled tape 1161 of hub 1150, the portion ofguiding members 1120 other than guiding portion 1121 are separated by asufficient distance to allow tape 1160 to pass more easily therebetween.As guiding members i 120 rotate guiding portions 1121 guide and stacktape 1160 aligned with the previous wound loop of tape on spool 1161 aspreviously described.

[0056] Guiding portions 1021 and 1121 may be formed of a uniform shape,i.e., width and height, from the hub to the edge of guiding member 1020and 1120 respectively. Alternatively, guiding portions 1021 and 1121 maybe tapered to create a larger distance between guiding portions 1021 and1121 closer to the edge of reel 1000 and 1100. A taper in guidingportions 1021 and 1121 may be made irrespective of any taper in guidingmember 1020 and 1120. Similar to guiding member 1020 of reel 1000,guiding member 1120 may include multiple guiding portions 1121positioned at various locations around guiding member 1120.

[0057]FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary plan view of the inner surface ofa guiding member 1220 with multiple guiding portions 1221 that may beused with a tape reel. In this example, four guiding portions 1221 aredisposed symmetrically around guiding member 1220 to create anundulating or wavy inner surface as guiding member 1220 rotates. In thisexample, the tape would be aligned and stacked to the spool of tape fourtimes during each revolution of spool 1200, i.e., each guiding portion1221 would align the tape. The corresponding opposite guiding member(not shown) would have high and low portions corresponding to guidingmember 1220 to create alternating wide and narrow distances between apair of guiding members 1220. The separation distance between a pair ofguiding members 1220 may be between 0.502 and 0.520 inches or more inthe wide regions and 0.498 to 0.505 inches in the narrow regions for0.500 inch tape. The narrow regions are preferably less than 0.503inches, and more preferably less than 0.500 inches, for a 0.500 inchtape.

[0058] Further, in one example the narrow and wide distances between apair of guiding members 1220 differs progressively as the reel 1200rotates. For example, two narrow regions (separated by a wide region)may be narrow to different degrees. The first narrow region may be 0.502inches, followed by a wide region of 0.505, and the second narrow region0.500 inches for a 0.500 inch tape. The wide regions may differ indistance progressively as well. The progression may be sequencedsequentially, i.e., each narrow region having a smaller distance betweenthe guiding members 1220 for a complete revolution, or randomly, i.e.,no specific pattern during a complete revolution.

[0059] Guiding members 1220 may include a taper, i.e., guiding membersdiverge with distance from hub 1250, in both the narrow and wide regionsto reduce the potential for damage to the tape as it passes between theouter edge of guiding members 1220. Alternatively, depending on theparticular application and shape of the narrow and wide regions, a taperis not necessary.

[0060] In other various examples, guiding member 1220 may includerelatively flat regions disposed between multiple guiding portionssimilar to guiding portion 1021 (see FIG. 10C) or 1121 (see FIG. 11B)spaced apart far enough around the guiding member. Thus, instead ofhaving a generally undulating inner surface, guiding member 1220 mayhave multiple wedges, bumps, or other contoured guiding portions formedon an otherwise substantially flat guiding member or flange.

[0061] Additionally, flange shaped guiding members and butterfly shapedguiding members have been described with opposing surfaces havingcorresponding or symmetrical shapes and contours to guide the tape. Itshould be recognized, however, that the opposing guide members need notcorrespond in their shape. For example, one guide member could be flatwith no guiding portions, i.e., shapes or bumps, with the opposing guidemember including a guiding portion. Additionally, each guide membercould include guiding portions that are offset with respect to eachother such that the upper guide portion guides the tape separately thanthe lower guide portion. For example, a first guide portion on an upperguide member might guide the tape down during a first portion of therotation of the reel and a second guide portion on the lower guidemember might guide the tape during a second portion of the rotation,where the first and second portions of the rotation are not aligned.

[0062]FIG. 13A illustrates another exemplary reel 1300. Reel 1300includes two outer rims 1355 and two pairs of guiding members 1320.Guiding members 1320 may be shaped similar to previously describedguiding members, for example, in FIGS. 4A-C, 5, 6A,B, and 7. The spacingbetween outer rims 1355 should be sufficient to allow a tape to enterwith reduced potential for damage to the tape edge. For example, thedistance between outer rims 1355 may be equal to or larger than theleading edge 1324 of one of the guiding members 1320. Additionally, reel1300 could operate with only a single guiding member pair 1320 attachedto rims 1355. The second pair of guiding members 1320 could either beremoved or formed only with a relatively large distance therebetweensuch that they do not act to guide and align the tape.

[0063]FIG. 13B illustrates a top view of another exemplary reel 1301.For example, any number of pairs of guiding members 1320 could be usedas well as varying the shape, both from the top view and thecross-sectional profile view from the leading edge 1324 to trailing edge1325. For example, simple wedge designs, rounded bumps, as well as othercontoured shapes may be used to guide and align the tape as it is woundto the hub 1350. Further, any of these example may include a solid topor cap at substantially the same level as the rim, e.g., such that thedistance between opposing sides does not interfere or damage the tape asit is spooled. A solid top or cap may be formed integrally with theguiding member 1320 and/or the rim 1350, or suitable attached thereto.

[0064] The above detailed description is provided to illustrateexemplary embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modification andvariations within the scope of the present invention are possible. Forexample, various designs of the guiding members of the butterfly typeexamples may be used with the guiding portions of the flange designs.Further, numerous other materials and processes not explicitly describedherein may be used within the scope of the exemplary methods andstructures described as will be recognized by those skilled in the art.Accordingly, the present invention is defined by the appended claims andshould not be limited by the description herein.

1. A reel for spooling tape thereon, comprising: a hub, wherein tapewraps around the hub; and two flange members, the flanges includingopposing surfaces such that the tape may pass between the opposingsurfaces and wrap around the hub, wherein at least one of the opposingsurfaces includes a guiding portion wherein a separation distancebetween the opposing surfaces of the flanges corresponding to theguiding portion decreases in a circumferential direction as the tape iswound on the hub, and the guiding portion guides the tape as it passesbetween the opposing surfaces.
 2. The reel of claim 1, wherein theopposing surfaces of the flanges include a plurality of guiding portionson the opposing surfaces.
 3. The reel of claim 2, wherein the guidingportions are spaced apart on the opposing surfaces uniformly.
 4. Thereel of claim 2, wherein at least two of the guiding portions arepositioned adjacent each other to form an undulating surface.
 5. Thereel of claim 1, wherein at least one guiding portion is integral withthe flange.
 6. The reel of claim 1, wherein a minimum separation betweenthe guiding portions is approximately the same size as the width of thetape.
 7. The reel of claim 1, wherein a minimum separation between theguiding portions is equal to the width of the tape.
 8. The reel of claim1, wherein a minimum separation between the guiding portions is lessthan the width of the tape without tension applied to the tape.
 9. Thereel of claim 1, wherein a minimum separation between the guidingportions is between 0.480 and 0.503 inches.
 10. The reel of claim 1,wherein a minimum separation between the guiding portions is between0.500 and 0.505 inches.
 11. The reel of claim 1, wherein the flanges aretapered such that the distance between the opposing surfaces increaseswith distance from the hub.
 12. The reel of claim 1, wherein the flangesare not tapered such that the distance between the opposing surfacesremains constant with distance from the hub.
 13. A tape drive includinga take-up reel for receiving tape, the tape drive comprising: aread/write head wherein tape streams past the read/write head to thetake-up reel, the take-up reel including, a hub, wherein tape wrapsaround the hub; and two flange members, the flanges including opposingsurfaces spaced apart such that the tape may pass between the opposingsurfaces and wrap around the hub, wherein at least one of the opposingsurfaces includes a guiding portion where a separation distance betweenthe opposing surfaces of the flanges decreases in a circumferentialdirection as the tape is wound on the hub, and the guiding portionguides the tape as it passes therebetween.
 14. The tape drive of claim13, wherein the opposing surfaces of the flanges include a plurality ofguiding portions on the opposing surfaces.
 15. The tape drive of claim14, wherein the guiding portions are spaced apart on the opposingsurfaces uniformly.
 16. The tape drive of claim 14, wherein at least twoof the guiding portions are positioned adjacent each other to form anundulating surface.
 17. The tape drive of claim 13, wherein at least oneguiding portion is integral with the flange.
 18. The tape drive of claim13, wherein a minimum separation between the guiding portions isapproximately the same size as the width of the tape.
 19. The tape driveof claim 13, wherein a minimum separation between the guiding portionsis equal to the width of the tape.
 20. The tape drive of claim 13,wherein a minimum separation between the guiding portions is less thanthe width of the tape without tension applied to the tape.
 21. The tapedrive of claim 13, wherein a minimum separation between the guidingportions is between 0.480 and 0.503 inches.
 22. The tape drive of claim13, wherein a minimum separation between the guiding portions is between0.500 and 0.505 inches.
 23. The tape drive of claim 13, wherein theflanges are tapered such that the distance between the opposing surfacesincreases with distance from the hub.
 24. The tape drive of claim 13,wherein flanges are not tapered such that the distance between theopposing surfaces remains constant with distance from the hub.
 25. Amethod for guiding tape as it is spooled onto a reel, comprising:receiving the tape to be wrapped around a hub between two flanges;guiding the tape before contacting an underlying layer of tape on thehub, wherein opposing surfaces of the flanges face each other atdistance such that the tape may pass therebetween and wrap around thehub, at least one of the opposing surfaces includes a guiding portionwhere a separation distance between the opposing surfaces of the flangesdecreases in a circumferential direction as the tape is wound on thehub, and the guiding portion guides the tape as it passes therebetween26. The method of claim 25, wherein the tape is guided by a change inthe separation distance between guiding portions.
 27. The method ofclaim 25, wherein the tape is guided by physical contact to the edge ofthe tape by the guiding portions.
 28. The method of claim 25, whereinthe opposing surfaces of the flanges include a plurality of guidingportions on the opposing surfaces.
 29. The method of claim 28, whereinthe guiding portions are spaced apart on the opposing surfacesuniformly.
 30. The method of claim 28, wherein at least two of theguiding portions are positioned adjacent each other to form anundulating surface.
 31. The method of claim 25, wherein a minimumseparation between the flanges is approximately the same size as thewidth of the tape.
 32. The method of claim 25, wherein a minimumseparation between the flanges is equal to the width of the tape. 33.The method of claim 25, wherein a minimum separation between the flangesis less than the width of the tape without tension applied to the tape.34. The method of claim 25, wherein a minimum separation between theflanges is between 0.480 and 0.503 inches.
 35. The method of claim 25,wherein a minimum separation between the flanges is between 0.500 and0.505 inches.
 36. The method of claim 25, wherein the flanges aretapered such that the distance between the opposing guiding armsincreases with distance from the hub.
 37. The method of claim 25,wherein the flanges are not tapered such that the minimum distancebetween the opposing guiding arms remains constant with distance fromthe hub.